Letters to the Editor - Feb. 16, 2013

To the editor: President Obama says he wants more jobs, but his $488 billion of added regulations is killing jobs. This is especially harmful to minorities, struggling families, and the underemployed.

If federal spending was the answer, as he says, we should have 100% employment by now, with $6 trillion in deficits the last 4 years. No, government needs to get out of the way, be fiscally responsible and reduce its debt, as Obama said individuals should do.

Obamatax (fmr. Obamacare) is causing many employers to cut jobs and hours. Extremist liberal economic policies are killing this economy.

The only way to “Fairness” to all is to slash unnecessary Regulations. After 236 plus years as a country, we have too many regulations. Our Founding Fathers are rolling over in their graves.

David K. Martin

Dover

To the editor: Somersworth Democrats have elected John Joyal (popularly known as JJ) as the city’s Democratic new committee chair. Joyal succeeds Hiram Connell.

Four at-large delegates were elected at the January 31 caucus for the New Hampshire State Democratic party 2013 and 2014 conventions. They are Dana Hilliard, Jennifer Soldati, Sean Collins, and Jessica Paradis, all active in Democratic politics.

Joyal has been active in local and national elections and has been a union leader at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. In comments following the voting, Joyal stressed the need to help Democratic candidates in their election efforts. “We are eagerly anticipating this year’s citywide elections as well as the 2014 federal elections, he said. “Likely candidates are Jeanne Shaheen for reelection to the US Senate, Carol Shea-Porter for reelection to Congress and Maggie Hassan for reelection as governor.”

Hiram Connell

Somersworth

To the editor: The other day a friend who insists that he’s at the other end of the political spectrum from me, but admires my perseverance in political matters, said he wanted to talk about guns. I have to admit I cringed, but agreed to listen. And then he unloaded on me.

He told me that he was pro-gun, he owned a good number of guns, and he enjoyed using them. Then he told me that when he was younger and lived in another state, he had to pass a long, multiple choice test before he could carry a gun. He told me he was just fine with that and thought the current to-do about guns for everyone, everywhere, was quite insane. He said that there were people who shouldn’t have guns, and that it was fine with him to limit who could have guns, and that there was no need for everyone to have a gun.

And I breathed again.

My takeaway from the conversation? Those recent polls are correct, and the folks who insist on walking around with their assault rifles in ready position, just because they can, are in the minority. The folks who insist that banning guns from the NH House chamber and gallery is an attack on people like them running for office (are you listening, Rep. Tasker?) are in a minority. People who think schools and churches and courts (for goodness sake, courts?!) are fine places to carry weapons? They’re really in the minority. Whew!

Lucy Edwards

Northwood

To the editor: On the issue of minimum wage, even the uneducated entrepreneur Henry Ford of vehicular fame made sure to pay his employees enough so they could afford to buy his products.

For those of more traditional bent, the Bible mentions payment three times. Deuteronomy 25:4 and 1 Corinthians 9:9 state the same. One Timothy 5:18 restates those two, then adds a line: “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, the laborer is worthy of his reward.”

People have been scraping by for so long now, waiting for better job opportunities. The ‘fiscal cliff’ has not helped anyone that isn’t a millionaire. Better physical and mental health care is desperately needed, and our infrastructure is becoming dangerous. These are not the signs of a secure country. No Republican supporting national security can credibly be against a higher minimum wage and the other issues mentioned.